Summer Reading 2010Windham High SchoolEnglish Department

“Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.” –Groucho Marx

Message from the English Department

The development of literacy is an ongoing process that continues beyond the confines of school.  Just as an athlete continually practices his or her sport or an actor practices his or her lines, reading is a skill that improves with practice. *Please note: For students in AP and Honors classes, the work is required.  Students enrolled in AP classes will be dropped from the course if summer work is not completed on time.  In Honors classes, students who do not complete their summer work will incur point penalties that will make it impossible to earn an “A”. Students in Academic and Standard classes are strongly encouraged to read this summer and they can earn extra credit during the first semester of the year. Detailed descriptions of the requirements and deadlines for all grades and levels are included in this brochure.

Table of Contents

Summer Enrichment Program Description 3

Class of 2014 Selections English I Honors Summer Assignment 4

Class of 2013 Selections English II Honors Summer Assignment 5

Class of 2012 Selections * English III Honors Summer Assignment 7* English III Advanced Placement Assignment 9

Class of 2011 Selections English IV Honors Summer Assignment 12English IV Advanced Placement Assignment 13

*Students enrolled in AP US History have some shared assignments with either Eng III Honors or AP Eng Lang. Please pay close attention to the requirements.

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Summer Enrichment ProgramThis program is for students enrolled in Standard and Academic level courses only.

Students that participate in this program may earn extra credit for reading and responding to what they have read. A reader-response sheet will be available in the main office at WHS or on Mrs. Heric’s faculty website: http://www.windham.k12.me.us/wsd_hs/staff/aheric/

Students must complete a response sheet for each book read (up to five) and submit those sheets on the first white or maroon day class in the fall of ’10. For each sheet completed and submitted, the student will earn points that s/he can choose to apply to their overall first and/or second quarter grades (5 points maximum). The teacher reserves the right not to allow credit if a sheet is plagiarized, incomplete, and/or of inferior quality.

Students should note that given their reading choice, points can be earned in their social studies course as well.

Students participating in this program must select their books from the any of the book lists on the Young Adult Library Services Association website:

This link will bring you to a page with several lists of award-wining novels, as well as lists of recommended books by genre. www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists

Hard copies of these lists will also be available in the main office at WHS. If you have any questions about this program, you may email Mrs. Heric at aheric@windhamraymondschools.org

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Class of 2014English I Honors Summer Reading

English I Honors Summer BooksRead 2 books and complete the assessment.

One Required –* A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaleed HosseiniOne Choice - Choose from the following list:* The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein* Life of Pi by Yann Martel* Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr.* Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Part IAs you read your choice novel, select FOUR quotes (or passages) that piqued your interest. A quote does not mean dialogue with quotation marks; any words you select from a text become a quote. Choose passages that capture important ideas. Your passages must be representative of the various parts of the story – beginning, middle, and end. Answering these questions will help you get started with your responses:

* Why did you choose this particular passage?* Which characters are involved in this part of the story? * How is this passage advancing the plot/story line?* How does the passage relate to you?* What predictions can you make based on this passage?

For EACH quote, your response should be one double-spaced, typed page (12-point font). I am looking for focused responses that reveal your close reading of the text. Include the page number for each quote.

Send your work to the teacher on your schedule. Your assignment must be postmarked no later than August 13, 2010:

Mrs. Enkosky Windham High School 406 Gray Rd. Windham, ME 04062

Part II

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You will have an in-class assessment over the required reading (A Thousand Splendid Suns) during the first week of class.

Class of 2013English II Honors Summer Reading

English II Honors Summer BooksRead 2 books and complete the assignments.

Classics – One Required * Great Expectations by Charles Dickens * Jane Eyre by Emily Bronte * Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Contemporary – One Required *The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan *The Book Thief by Markus Zusack *A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah *Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Part I As you read your contemporary selection, select FOUR quotes (or passages) that piqued your interest. A quote does not mean dialogue with quotation marks; any words you select from a text become a quote. Choose passages that capture important ideas. Your passages must be representative of the various parts of the story – beginning, middle, and end. Answering these questions will help you get started with your responses: * Why did you choose this particular passage?* Which characters are involved in this part of the story?* How is this passage advancing the plot/story line?* How does the passage relate to you?* What predictions can you make based on this passage?

For EACH quote, your response should be two typed pages (12-point font). We are looking for focused responses that reveal your close reading of the text. Include the page number for each quote.

You must mail your completed responses (eight pages) to the assigned teacher on your schedule. Your assignment must be postmarked no later than August 10, 2010:

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Mr. Lawrence Mrs. GrimaldiWindham High School Windham High School 406 Gray Road 406 Gray RoadWindham, ME 04062 Windham, ME 04062Part IIYou will complete a response journal as you read your classic selection. Your journal will consist of 8 reader-response entries. Be sure that with each entry you are making clear, explicit connections to the text. Use evidence from the text and direct quotes in every entry. Your response journal must meet the following criteria:

* Entries must show your reading progression (for example, not all eight entries can be about the first half of the book only).* All entries must be typed, double-spaced (12 point-font) and a page in length.* All entries should be dated and list the chapter(s) to which you are responding.* Choose only 8 prompts from the following 12 choices. You can only use each prompt once.

Reader-response prompts will be collected on the first day of class in the fall, and may be used for an assignment during the first quarter. 1. Write about a memory of your own that is similar to something that happens in your book. Compare and contrast the experiences. 2. Write a reaction to a decision made by a character and discuss what you would have done if confronted with the same decision. 3. Write a letter from a character in the novel to another character explaining the character’s feelings. 4. Write an interview between you and the main character in your novel. 5. Before you finish the book, make a prediction about how it will end. 6. Discuss whether you feel the novel’s title is a good one. Explain why you think the author chose it. 7. Once you’ve finished the novel, write a letter to the author explaining your opinion of the book; offer advice about what could happen if a sequel were made. 8. Choose a passage from the book and tell why you think it’s important. 9. Discuss the setting of the novel and explain its importance in relation to the novel as a whole. 10. Discuss a part of the novel that made you laugh, feel angry, sad, or frustrated. 11. Comment on the author’s writing style. Do you like the way s/he writes the story? Why or why not? 12. Discuss which scene was easiest for you to imagine. Explain 6

why.

Class of 2012English III Honors Summer Reading

Part IRead the novel To Kill a Mocking bird by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic in American literature. It is an engaging and very enjoyable story that speaks to the themes of coming of age and racism in the South. You are to keep a Reader Response Journal on this novel. Your journal must contain at least eight interesting and provocative quotes from the novel. Identify the speaker and circumstances surrounding the words. You should react in depth to each quotation you choose. With at least five of the quotes, reflect on the quote’s significance in character development, theme, tone, point of view, etc. For other quotes, you may do the same, or you may reflect upon how the quote evokes a personal response in you. Meaningful and well-developed responses are expected. This reader response journal must be word-processed.

Bring a paper copy of your reader response journal to the school office by July 30, 2010. When you do so, be sure to ask a secretary, teacher, or administrator to sign your journal and to include the date. An email submission is not sufficient; only paper copies are acceptable. You may mail your journal, which must be postmarked by July 30, 2010 to:

Karrie RichardWindham High School406 Gray RoadWindham, ME 04062

Part IIStudents will read to understand how accounts of a factual matter can be presented very differently and yet both still contain an accurate history of events.

Materials Chapter 1 of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United

States Questions over the Zinn reading

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Two articles about Columbus

Process Read Zinn and answer the questions. Read the two articles about Columbus. Write a two page persuasive essay on the following

topic: Columbus: Hero or Villain?

Your essay must be word-processed and double-spaced. Be mindful of the structure of all formal essays (introduction with thesis statement, body paragraphs, and conclusion). Your essay will be graded using the WHS Writing Rubric (available online).

Please note: Plagiarism or failure to complete satisfactorily all of the summer reading requirements on time will result in a twelve percent deduction on your first quarter grade.

Bring a paper copy of your essay to the school office by August 23, 2010. When you do so, be sure to ask a secretary, teacher, or administrator to sign your paper and to include the date. An e-mail submission is not sufficient; only hard copies are acceptable. You may mail your essay, which must be postmarked by August 23, 2010 to:

Karrie RichardWindham High School406 Gray RdWindham ME 04062

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English III Advanced PlacementPart I: * Read Upton Sinclair’s The JungleEvery 4 chapters (6 total summaries & responses)

* Bulleted summary of what has happened in the story (12 items)* 1-2 pages of your reaction to what you read. Consider what points Sinclair is making about American society and the immigrant experience. Evaluate the way Sinclair’s tone and language contribute to his main points. Meaningful and well-developed responses are expected. * This should be typed, double-spaced in Times New Roman font, 12 point font.

This is due July 30th and should either be mailed or dropped off at the high school office. If mailed, your materials must be postmarked by July 30th, and if dropped off, please have a secretary initial and date your materials. No emails will be accepted for summer work assignments. Please send your materials for AP ENG LANG to:

Jeff SandersWindham High School406 Gray RdWindham ME 04062

Part II:Your assignment is to read 5 liberal columns and 5 conservative columns and fill out the attached form (one form for each column). All columns should be published in July 2010. Listed below are some columnists from which you can choose. You will be able to find all of these writers online or in your local newspaper.

This is due August 6th and should either be mailed or dropped off at the high school office. If mailed, your materials must be postmarked by August 6th, and if dropped off, please have a

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secretary initial and date your materials. No emails will be accepted for summer work assignments. Please send your materials for AP ENG LANG to:

Jeff SandersWindham High School406 Gray RdWindham ME 04062

Liberal Columnists:Helen Thomas www.thebostonchannel.com/helenthomas/index.htmlJay Bookman http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blogJim Hightower www.hightowerlowdown.orgJulianne Malveaux www.juliannemalveaux.com Richard Reeves www.richardreeves.com Maureen Dowd – New York Times – www.nytimes.com David Broder – Washington Post – www.washingtonpost.com Mark Shields - The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour – www.creators.comBill Nemitz – Portland Press Herald – www.pressherald.com Thomas Friedman – New York Times – www.nytimes.com William Kristol – New York Times – www.nytimes.com

Conservative Columnists:Karl Rove www.rove.com/articlesMichael Reagan www.reagan.comPat Buchanan http://buchanan.org/blog/category/columns Cal Thomas www.calthomas.com – go to columns on left sideBill O’Reilly http://www.billoreilly.com/currentarticle Ann Coulter www.anncoulter.com George Will – Washington Post – www.washingtonpost.com Jonah Goldbert – LA Times – www.latimes.com Bill Kristol – The Weekly Standard – www.weeklystandard.com Morton M. Kondracke - Roll Call – www.rollcall.com E.J. Dionne, Jr. - The Washington Post – www.washingtonpost.com David Broder – Washington Post – www.washingtonpost.comGeorge Will – Washington Post – www.washingtonpost.comAndy Rooney – Tribune Media Services – www.tmsfeatures.com

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Part III:Understanding how accounts of a factual matter can be presented very differently and both still contain an accurate accounting of what took place.

Materials:Chapter 1 of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Questions over the Zinn reading. Two articles about Columbus

Process: Read Zinn and answer the questions in the provided packet. Read the two articles about Columbus.Write a 2-3 page persuasive essay on the topic: Columbus: Hero or Villain? Your essay will be graded using the WHS Writing Rubric. Particular attention should be paid to your thesis statement and the use of evidence in your body paragraphs.

This is due August 23th and should either be mailed or dropped off at the high school office. If mailed, your materials must be postmarked by August 23th, and if dropped off, please have a secretary initial and date your materials. No emails will be accepted for summer work assignments. Please send your materials for AP ENG LANG to:

Jeff SandersWindham High School406 Gray RdWindham ME 04062

Please note: Plagiarism or failure to complete satisfactorily ALL of the summer reading requirements ON TIME will result in your removal from the course. No exceptions. Plan ahead.

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Class of 2011English IV Honors Summer Books

English IV Honors Summer BooksRead these 2 books and complete the assessments.Two Required * The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay * Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Part I*The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay (South Africa) – This is the uplifting story of a young South African youth growing up in the years prior to World War II. If you like the book and have the time, there is a sequel called Tandia which you may read for extra credit. You are to keep a Reader Response Journal on The Power of One. Your journal should contain AT LEAST 10 interesting and provocative quotes from the novel. You should react in depth to each quote (you know – agree or disagree, personal experiences that are related to the quote, how the quote makes you feel, how the quote further reveals the development of a character, etc.). You will submit your journal on the very first day of class in the fall. A class discussion will follow.*Frankenstein – Shelley (England) – This is a classic tale that explores themes of alienation, nature, knowledge and the ethical dilemmas posed by scientific progress. The novel’s original full title, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, alludes to the ancient Greek myth of Prometheus, who created man and sacrificed his own freedom and happiness to give man the knowledge of fire. He was severely punished for defying the law of Zeus. Keep this in mind as you read. Shelley, a feminist herself and daughter of the groundbreaking feminist and activist,

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Mary Wollstonecraft, also addresses themes of sexism and women’s roles in the novel.

Part II:Choose one of the aforementioned themes and write a 2 – 3 page MLA-formatted essay that discusses its significance in the book. Be sure to include a brilliant thesis statement, at least three quotes from the text to support your points, and a strong conclusion. This essay must be mailed to:

Kate ParlinWindham High School406 Gray Rd.Windham, ME 04062

Your essay must be postmarked no later than August 10, 2010. You may choose to hand-deliver the essay to the main office at school, but you must make sure that a secretary or administrator signs and dates the envelope or essay.

Class of 2011English IV Advanced Placement Summer Books

Read these 4 books and complete assessments.* Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad * Beowulf Seamus Heaney edition *Grendel by John Gardner * The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay OR *A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 

1) Beowulf – Seamus Heaney edition. This is England’s first great epic. This is the story of the hero Beowulf and his conquests. We will use this work as a starting point in the discussion of our first literary theme – the Hero. Please read and study Richard Wilbur’s poem “Beowulf” as well as the Time magazine article entitled “The Gospel of Superman”. Assessment: In September we will conduct a Socratic seminar to assess your knowledge and understanding of the concept of “isolation of the hero” as it applies to all three pieces. We will also discuss how Beowulf embodies the values of the culture from which it emerges. Complete the attached handouts.

2) Grendel by John Gardner This is a humorous retelling of the Beowulf story from the point of view of the monster, Grendel. After you read this novel, complete the attached handouts and write a three to four page essay in which you compare and contrast Beowulf and Grendel in terms of their purposes, the characters Beowulf, Grendel, Unferth, and Hrothgar. Consider tone and point

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of view. This essay and handouts will be due on the first day class meets.

3) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad – This is a classic frame story, or story within a story. This is a short but intense novel packed with symbols and images. You will:

a) Make a list of 25 separate symbols/images/motifs in the novel. For example, a French gunboat firing cannon randomly into the jungle is noteworthy (hint). Or, perhaps you notice the potential of a bunch of rivets or a sunken steamer (hint, hint).

b) Write a 3 to 5 page essay on the significance of any ONE of your images or symbols. Develop a plausible and intelligent thesis to support with an insightful analysis that uses a number of significant textual citations. MLA format is expected.

The due date is Monday, August 9, 2010. You may mail your essay and separate list of symbols to:

Beth GuyWindham High School406 Gray Rd.Windham, ME 04062

The envelope must be postmarked no later than midnight August 9, 2010. You may hand-deliver the envelope to the main office on or before the due date, in which case you must have a secretary or administrator sign the envelope or essay to verify its timely delivery. Alternatively, you may email your papers to bguy@windhamraymondschools.org (no later than midnight August 9). If you email your assignment, in the subject line of the email write “Last name – Summer project” (e.g. Jones – summer project). If emailing, be sure you have a copy of your email in your “sent” folder”.

4) A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – This is a novel of dystopia that carries some important messages regarding government, gender, and a host of other topics.

OR (your choice)

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The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay – This is an uplifting story of a young South African youth growing up in the years prior to World War II.

Assessment: You will keep a reader response journal on whichever of these novels you choose. Your journal should contain at least nine interesting and provocative quotations from the novel. You should react in depth to the quotation - explain its significance in terms of character, tone, point of view, theme, etc. Last (#10); include your personal response to the novel and what it means to you. This reader response journal should be word-processed. Note page numbers for quotations and editions of works you use. This reader response journal will be due on the first day class meets.

Please note: Plagiarism or failure to complete satisfactorily ALL of the summer reading requirements ON TIME will result in your removal from the course. No exceptions. Plan ahead.

Have a great summer and enjoy your adventures into some great literature!!

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